Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Australia, UK Accuse Russia of Cyberattacks Aimed At Undermining Western Democracies; U.S. Senators to Read FBI's Kavanaugh Report; Trump May Have to Release Tax Returns; Indonesia Disaster; U.S. Navy Planning Exercises to Warn China; British Prime Minister Theresa May Calls for Unity. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 04, 2018 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: Britain, Australia and New Zealand are accusing Russia's military intelligence of a series of global cyber attacks, including attempts to disrupt the U.S. presidential election two years ago.

But these alleged attacks go far beyond politics. The U.K.'s Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says reckless, indiscriminate attacks also targeted businesses, media and sports and that they serve no national security interests for Russia.

Instead, he says, these attacks were meant to disrupt people's daily lives, costing the world economy millions of dollars. CNN's Nina dos Santos is following these developments from London.

Good to see you again, Nina.

So what could we read into this statement?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: You have to read two points since the statement. I suppose it would be on the one hand the gloves are off and they've identified that these hack attacks had been sanctioned and taken place by a intelligence unit of the Russian military, meaning that they would have had to have been sanctioned at the highest level, the Kremlin.

And secondly, they are also sending the message in these combined statements that we are ready to form an alliance to try work together to counter this increasing cyber threat that is coming particularly from state actors like Russia.

And what's significant in the statement is that they repeatedly have pointed the finger at the GRU highlighting various examples of when they say the GRU has affected people's day-to-day lives out in the West. Very interestingly enough chosen four separate examples that affect democracy -- media, schools and also public transport.

So among those examples the 2016 hacking of the DNC servers ahead of the elections in the United States a couple of years ago; also the hacking of the World Anti-Doping Agency's files which saw a number of celebrities, sports people finding their personal medical information out online and a transport system in Ukraine was also attacked as well as a yet unidentified U.K. media outlet.

So the point here, I suppose, is going to be that the GRU's actions are dangerous both online and offline. When it comes to the offline paths that oversee the U.K., knows all too well that side of the argument, having specifically said that the GRU was responsible for the Salisbury poisonings earlier on this year.

CHURCH: Nina, what's interesting is we're seeing this united force, these countries banding together, showing that they are willing to fight back together.

DOS SANTOS: That's right and as you pointed out the United Kingdom was the first to come up with this statement, citing its allies and this combined effort here to pin the blame on the GRU as they see it.

They haven't come up with a huge amount of detail on the evidence that they've used to try and come to the conclusion that they are pretty confident, with a high degree of certainty, that the GRU was behind these four attacks I mentioned and also the other key thing they mention specifically 12 cyber actors, including the famous monikers Fancy Bear, APT28, a list of these they have unmasked as fronts, covers for GRU activity online to warn people.

But the real use is that of collective defense, largely because NATO, about a year ago, finally started to acknowledge that a cyber threat, a cyber hack could potentially trigger its Article 5 collective defense clauses that cite that if one member is under attack, then the rest of the NATO alliance should rally to its defense.

And a real concern here is that with the level of threat that the U.K. and other allies are seeing out there coming they're saying particularly from Russia and particularly from the GRU, the real concern here is that, at some point, this could trigger an official -- trigger an official collective defense clause.

So perhaps they're trying to get ahead of the argument earlier, with some of these ad hoc alliances that they are able with existing alliance partners that they have. That brings me to Australia and New Zealand, which is obviously part of the Five Eyes signal intelligence sharing agreements.

So it is no surprise to see that the U.K. statement was followed up by Australia, New Zealand and I expect we will hear more potentially from other NATO members later on today.

CHURCH: No doubt. Nina dos Santos, joining us live from London just after 7:00 in the morning. Many thanks.

Now to Washington where senators are expected to start reading the FBI's updated background report on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in just a few hours from now.

[02:05:00]

CHURCH: President Trump ordered the investigation after Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Republican leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation this week, regardless of what's in that report.

Meanwhile three key Republican senators say it was appalling and inappropriate for President Trump to mock Ford during a campaign rally in Mississippi on Tuesday. The White House was having none of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Isn't there something wrong with the President of the United States mocking somebody who says she was sexually assaulted?

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It seemed to me that he was stating facts, that Dr. Ford herself laid out in her testimony.

ACOSTA: You don't have any problem defending --

(CROSSTALK)

SANDERS: I don't have any problem stating facts, no.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Los Angeles, Peter Matthews is a professor of political science at Cypress College.

Good to have you with us.

PETER MATTHEWS, CYPRESS COLLEGE: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has set the first vote for Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation on Friday in just a few hours from now. Of course, all U.S. senators by then will have read the FBI report and all eyes will be on Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.

How are they likely to vote on this?

What signals are they giving?

And how surprised are you that the vote is set for Friday regardless of what's in that report?

MATTHEWS: Well, we don't have the vote yet because it depends on what's on the report when they read it. However, this goes far beyond the specific vote. It has to do with the disrespect for women in general. And a Supreme Court justice that the Republicans are pushing, like this man, Kavanaugh, is going to set the country back by 40 or 50 years because he gets to be there for his lifetime.

And it is a problem when they don't even allow a proper FBI investigation that would clear up and get to the bottom of what happened possibly to Dr. Ford and the other two women who were also there, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick.

Julie wasn't even allowed to be interviewed by the White House and their stipulation and this is incredibly -- this not only is dissing women, it's not respecting them in any way at all as full human beings.

To be heard, these accusations Dr. Ford has made, which is very serious and we know the psychology and sociology of it, when women who have been sexually assaulted, it takes a long time for them to be recovered, even to think of speaking of it.

So to say that why didn't she come out 36 years ago was so disingenuous by President Trump when he made that -- and to mock her yesterday, to mock her at a rally and mock her testimony was --

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: Yes, indeed, and of course Brett Kavanaugh's roommate in his freshman year at Yale, James Roche (ph), was on CNN Wednesday evening. He said Kavanaugh lied under oath when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And he says he knows this because he frequently saw Kavanaugh return to his room, stumbling drunk, incoherent after a night out to the point of throwing up.

But that's not what Kavanaugh said in his testimony. Roche (ph) also says that he believes the second accuser, Deborah Ramirez. But the FBI has not interviewed Roche.

Why is that, do you think?

And should Kavanaugh's drinking habits be part of this investigation, given other classmates are saying similar things about his drinking?

MATTHEWS: Absolutely, it should be part of the investigation because this is Supreme Court justice we're talking about. The highest court in the land and just a judicial review. He gets to rule on the rulings of other branches of government and gets to say whether they're unconstitutional or constitutional.

It is a very supreme power as the name suggests. And to put a man like this on for the next 30,40, 50 years is very serious and he's not a man of integrity, of personal integrity who we can -- who can be trusted to go by his principles in voting on these issues.

You can't have him on Supreme Court. You should not have him on there. And so, of course, you should bring in as much testimony as need be and these people should have been put under oath by the Senate committee.

For example, Mark Judge was not brought in to speak under oath of the senators themselves. I think it's a big cover-up and a camouflage and they're ramming this thing through because they know that if this was investigated fully, more than likely, Kavanaugh will not pass the muster.

CHURCH: Mark Judge has been investigated by the FBI. He has spoken to them and we are yet to hear what he had to say. But it is not only classmates who were speaking out right now.

A letter just published in "The New York Times" says that the Senate should not confirm Kavanaugh and it is signed by more than 650 law professors. I do want to read part of it to you and to our viewers.

"Judicial temperament is one of the most important qualities of a judge. As a congressional research service explains, a judge requires a personality that is evenhanded, unbiased, impartial, courteous yet firm and dedicated to a process, not a result.

"The concern for judicial temperament dates back to our founding."

It goes on to say, "We are law professors who teach, research and write about the judicial institutions of this country. Many of us appear in state and federal court and our work means that we will continue to do so, including before the United States Supreme Court.

"We regret that we feel compelled to write to you, our senator, to provide our views that, at the Senate hearings on September 27th, Judge Brett Kavanaugh displayed a lack of judicial temperament that would be disqualifying for any court and certainly for elevation to the highest court of this land."

So, Peter Matthews, this letter will be presented to the Senate in the morning in just a few hours from now.

Will it make any difference?

MATTHEWS: Probably not with the Republican senators who are going to ramrod this thing through. And what that statement said was very important and very true. I watched the Kavanaugh's testimony and it was exactly what these law professors are saying.

He exhibited the character that goes completely against what a judicial temperament would be and that's going to have a major impact on his rulings on the court. And that's why I think they should take note that Supreme Court justices can be impeached even if they're on the bench.

In fact, I think one was impeached but not removed. But they can be impeached and removed by the House and the Senate.

So this is not over yet. And if I were Judge Kavanaugh, I would want to have a thorough investigation of my past, what I have done, to clear my name and to not have any kind of cloud hanging over me with the -- that could bring about a possible process of impeachment once I'm in office.

That would be very traumatic for the country and also for Kavanaugh himself.

So why not have a complete investigation?

It looks like Mitch McConnell and the Republican leadership in the Senate is adamant to get this man through to have the kind of votes that President Trump wants to turn this country back, the clock back by many, many years.

CHURCH: Peter Matthews, thank you so much for joining us, bringing us your perspective and analysis. We do appreciate it.

MATTHEWS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee says Donald Trump may have to release his tax returns after "The New York Times" investigation alleged he made his fortune through tax dodges and outright fraud.

Orrin Hatch says he's open to looking into the matter but he wouldn't commit to seeking Mr. Trump's tax returns himself.

Meanwhile New York mayor Bill de Blasio says Mr. Trump may have broken the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: We are looking to recoup -- and let's be really clear -- the City of New York is looking to recoup any money that Donald Trump owes the people of New York City, period.

And we will work with the state and we're going to look under every stone because I said earlier this morning, that's money that could be going to veterans, could be going to senior, could be going to kids --

[02:10:00]

DE BLASIO: -- that he should've paid in taxes and didn't. So we're going to go and pursue that with all vigor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The White House and President Trump's personal lawyer have both vehemently denied "The New York Times" report.

Rescues and evacuations are ongoing right now in Indonesia nearly a week after the earthquake and tsunami. But hopes of finding anyone alive in the rubble are fading fast. More than 1,400 people are confirmed dead and there are fears many more bodies may still be buried under collapsed buildings.

Those fears are especially evident in Petobo. The Indonesian Red Cross was the first to reach the tiny village, home to nearly 500 people. But rescuers say it was obliterated. The village simply no longer exists. More now from CNN's Matt Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The village of Petobo is gone. Earthquakes destroyed a lot of places but not many end up that way by being sucked into the ground.

When this one struck, the land acted more like a lake. It's called liquefaction.

So what happened during this natural phenomenon was that the ground that was solid underneath these houses and the people and the cars of this village essentially became like a liquid, which meant all the things on top that subsumed into the ground below, while mud rose up and the result is this, this hellscape that rescuers have no really no chance of digging through quickly and which means that we know there are still people buried inside this ground that have no chance of being rescued.

The destruction here is utterly complete, 744 houses were buried, many with people inside. The searchers looking for them are exhausted and outmatched.

All of that is the reality facing those who made it out.

In this makeshift tent across town we find an extended family all from Petobo sharing one tent. To a person it's story after story of just surviving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I saw houses rolling and the ground breaking open. A lot of people fell inside. It's thanks to God I am alive now with my children.

RIVERS: Moriatin Galanu (ph) knew the only way to escape was to take her family and run.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We fell down into the mud and looked like the mud was sucking us in. The mud was alive.

RIVERS: They pulled their way out and parents didn't. She believes they're among the dead.

(INAUDIBLE) got stuck in the mud, as well, holding her 3-month-old daughter. The mud got up to her chest before she was saved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I lifted up my baby. I was so lucky because there were people who helped me.

RIVERS: She made it out but her mother was stuck, too. Her mom told her to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I said, "My daughter, please just leave me. Let me die here. The most important thing is to save your baby. Your baby is much more important." But she said, "No, no. I want you to live."

I surrendered.

RIVERS: And three generations of family made it out safely. It was against the odds for all of the people in the tent to make it out. There are cuts and bruises and bandages show that. They call themselves the fortunate ones. Here on Sulawesi, calling yourself lucky has a low bar these days -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Palu, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Heartbreaking stories there from Indonesia. We will continue to follow that story.

Still to come, the U.S. Navy wants to send a message to China and the Chinese may respond to a show of force near their territorial waters.

Plus, warming up a tough crowd with a few dance moves, Britain's prime minister tells the Conservative Party they need to stick together on Brexit. More on that when we come back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:15:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: The U.S. Navy is said to be drawing up plans for a huge show of military force as a warning to China. U.S. defense officials say the Navy is recommending a series of exercises involving U.S. warships, combat aircraft and troops near China's territorial waters in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Meanwhile the U.S. Navy says one of its ships came dangerously close to colliding with a Chinese warship in the South China Sea on Sunday. And these are U.S. Navy photos obtained from the blog gcapt.com.

Stephen Jiang joins us now from Beijing with more.

Steven, a show of military force by the U.S., how's China likely to respond to this proposal and how concerned is the region about it?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: Rosemary, these photos you just showed may explain why the Pentagon is proposing this major show of force. According to many analysts, they think the Chinese military has been getting increasingly aggressive in the region as they perceived U.S. ministry vulnerabilities based on a spate of incidents and mishaps in the past few years.

So they are trying to exploit that and this proposal may be the Pentagon's way of telling the Chinese, sending a very clear signal that we are still the world's only superpower and we are more than capable of dealing with you militarily. Let's also put the whole thing in context. The two militaries and the

two countries have been going through a lot of problems, tensions have been rising, even before the near collision you mentioned that U.S. had sanctioned the Chinese military for buying weaponry from Russia and the Chinese responded furiously by recalling its navy's top commander, who was visiting the U.S. at the time.

And the two sides also have been holding live fire drills in the South China Sea. Now all these moves, coupled with the ongoing trade ward as well as Mr. Trump's latest accusation about the Chinese efforts to meddle in the U.S. election, all these things are only making the Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping more convinced of one thing, according to many observers; that is, the U.S. is out to get China, the U.S. is out to contain the rise of China on a global stage.

And this is going to make this relationship really into more uncertainty and probably will keep reaching new lows in the coming months.

CHURCH: Always makes people a little nervous, too, if mistakes occur in situations like this. We will keep a very close eye on all of it. Steven Jiang, joining us there live from Beijing, many thanks.

The speech British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered at the Conservative Party conference went better than last year. It started with some dance moves, including some jokes and ended with a message to her Brexit critics. Our Bianca Nobilo has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prime Minister Theresa May danced her way to a successful end of a conference that got off to a bumpy start. Theresa May, gave her keynote address to close the Conservative Party conference today and she entered in a surprising way.

[02:20:00]

NOBILO: After showcasing her sense of humor, the Prime Minister addressed Brexit. She said that the party needed to unify or risk no Brexit at all. She also addressed the people's vote campaign for a second referendum, saying the people have voted and they voted to leave.

Here's what she said about the possibility of walking away without the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Some people asked me to rule out, no deal. But if I did that, I would weaken our negotiating position and have to agree to whatever the E.U. offers.

And at the moment that would mean accepting one of two things, either a deal that keeps us in the E.U. in orbit name, keeps free movement, keeps vast annual payments and stops the signing trade deals with other countries or a deal that carves off Northern Ireland, a part of this country, effectively leaving it in the E.U.'s customs union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: For a politician not known for her ability to command a room or be charismatic, Theresa May's conference speech today will be seen as a success. And it comes off the back of a rocky conference beginning.

There was an embarrassing data breach on the first day of conference, exposing contact details and personal information of key members of government. And then, Boris Johnson, despite only arriving yesterday, dominated the headlines of the early part of conference.

He then arrived on Tuesday and gave a rousing address where he encouraged his audience to chuck Theresa May's Chequers plan.

BORIS JOHNSON, SECRETARY OF STATE, BRITISH FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Do not believe them finally, when they say there is no other plan and no alternative. This is the moment to chuck Chequers.

NOBILO: May's speech received an overwhelmingly positive reception inside the hall. Some of her own MPs called it her best speech yet. But how far that speech resonated outside of the Conservative Party conference remains to be seen.

It does seem likely, though, that for a premiership so surrounded in constant speculation about how long May will survive as a leader, the speech today has bought her a little breathing space -- Bianca Nobilo, CNN, Birmingham.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Let's get more on all this from our European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas. Good to see you, Dominic. Hi, Rosemary.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Theresa May took to the stage, moving to the beat of Abba's Dancing Queen. Did she successfully turn things around for herself and for her Brexit plan, do you think?

THOMAS: Right. Well, last year's Conservative Party conference went so bad with the coughing and all the interruptions that she had to find some kind of new prop that would sort of -- you know, detract from, from that particular thing.

So, she came out and tried to take this Abba song to sound an upbeat after what had been a fairly and relatively depressing Conservative Party conference.

She outlined a number of domestic issues that had to do with housing, health care, the future of the economy. But ultimately, none of those questions will mean anything to anybody until the Brexit issue is solved, then we have a better idea as to what the United Kingdom will look like going forward.

So, then the rest of the speech concentrated on -- partly on Brexit where she reiterated her fondness not for Boris Johnson's plan, although, she didn't mention him. But for the Checkers plan which allows for some kind of common alignment and common rules work with the European Union.

And therefore, solves the problem with the Irish border and will keep the desperate support that she needs from the DUP in Northern Ireland. What was then interesting about that his speech is the whole question of unity and in and of itself just calling for unity would not have work?

What she had to resort to was really a degree of fear-mongering. Because if there's anything that unites the Conservative Party, it is the fear of a Labour government.

And that was what the bulk of the speech was designed to do, was to highlight the deep divisions in the opposition in the Labour Party and with Jeremy Corbyn's policies as a way to bring together that opposition. And as Bianca Nobilo pointed out, to give her a little bit more breathing space as we move forward.

CHURCH: Right. So, as you mentioned, Prime Minister May, call for unity on the Brexit issue.

Any sign that will happen for her?

THOMAS: Well, her days are essentially numbered. We've got here until March where she needs to come up with some kind of solution. Now, everybody is talking about her days that are being numbered.

It is not inconceivable that Theresa May will wake up one morning and essentially realize that there's absolutely no way she's going to get a deal from the European Union that will satisfy the British Parliament and at the same time the hardcore Brexiteers.

And it major speed that walking away from the party would be the best thing for her. If unlikely that she will do that, but having said that.

When we get to that divulge crucial moment in March of 2019, it's going to be an interesting moment to determine just when is it that the Conservative Party is going to initiate a leadership transition as they look towards --

[02:25:00]

THOMAS: -- at the latest point, the 2022 elections.

And whether or not, they will want to pursue it with her leading up to that which is, of course, nobody believes that she will be their candidate moving forward. So, she's got six months to really try and turn this around and come up with some kind of deal with the European Union.

CHURCH: So, where does all this leave Boris Johnson's plans, his ambitions as well?

THOMAS: Right. Well, his ambitions as they are right now, I don't think there's a single person. And I said this repeatedly in the Conservative Party that realistically would want to be Prime Minister at this particular moment of the crucial talks with Brexit.

So, he's been very good at pushing and needling her and provoking her and making things difficult. Ultimately, what you could argue is that this could backfire because he could push so far that Theresa May actually steps down and calls a snap election. The outcome of which would be highly unpredictable.

But ultimately, what Boris Johnson is waiting is to see what happens over the next six months so that they can prepare the period after Theresa May's prime ministership. And you can really see them kind of gearing up. And for that particular outcome.

But I don't think anybody wants to take a position right now and be there negotiating over the next six months with the European Union.

CHURCH: It is the poison chalice, apparently. Dominic Thomas, always a pleasure to have you on and have your perspective on this matter.

THOMAS: Thanks, Rosemary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: After the U.N. told the U.S. to scale back sanctions on Iran because they violated decades-old treaty, the U.S. announced it was pulling out of the agreement. It happened just hours after a ruling by the international Court of Justice.

And now the 1955 Treaty of Amity is no longer in effect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a decision, frankly, that is 39 years overdue. In July Iran brought a meritless case in the international Court of Justice, alleging violations of the Treaty of Amity.

Iran seeks to challenge the United States' decision to cease participation in the Iran nuclear deal and to reimpose the sanctions that were lifted as part of that deal. Iran has attempted to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions necessary to protect our national security.

Iran is abusing the ICJ chamber for political and propaganda purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The treaty established trade, investment and consular relations. Iran's foreign minister criticized the U.S. decision, calling Washington "an outlaw regime."

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, a disturbing look at sex trafficking in the City of Light and why Parisian police are having a tough time stopping it.

Plus a mysterious disappearance: a prominent Saudi critic vanishes after walking into his country's consulate in Turkey. We'll take a look at that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:14] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. It's time to update our top stories for you this hour. The U.K., Australia, and New Zealand say Russia's military intelligence service orchestrated a series of cyberattacks around the world targeting businesses, medias, sports, and politics, and that includes the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Britain's Foreign Secretary says the attacks were reckless and served no national security interests.

U.S. senators are expected to start reading the FBI's updated background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh in the coming day. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote on the Supreme Court nominee this week regardless of what's in that report. U.S. defense officials say the Navy is drawing up plans for a major show of force as a warning to China. The proposal is to sail ships and fly aircraft near China's territorial waters in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Neither the Pentagon nor the Navy's specific fleet are acknowledging or commenting on the proposal. Hundreds of Nigerian women have been trafficked into Paris as sex workers lured by the promise of new life only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of abuse and exploitation. The young women are often found in and around one of the city's wooded parks and police are having a tough time stopping it. CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from that park in Paris with more on all of this.

So Melissa, how bad is the situation and why is it so hard for the police to stop it?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a problem that's been getting steady worst for them over the last few years. And, of course, in the daylight hours, you wouldn't suspect anything about this park. There's cyclists going around in this morning rush hour time here in Paris. People driving through the park on their way to work. Kids cycling through it on their way to school.

It is during the nighttime hours between about 6:00 p.m., Rosemary, and 5:00 a.m. that a very different picture emerges right here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: A nighttime exchange in Paris's largest park, the Bois de Vincennes, with just a nod, a prostitute is led into the bushes. In France, it is buying sex rather than selling it that is illegal. But the police say that most of the women who work here are slaves. Nadesh (ph), not her real name used to be one of them.

NADESH, FORMER SEX SLAVE: (INAUDIBLE) you ask questions, 90 percent are slaves, 90 percent. BELL: Parisian police agree for everyone dancing freely here they say

nine are not. By day, the park is a beautiful spot popular with dog walkers and ball players. By night, it becomes a place where men can buy sex for very little. The police believe that 150 slaves work in this park. Like the others, Nadesh was in the hands of a network to which she gave all of her earning. And like the others, she took an oath before leaving Nigeria binding her to a madam through a juju, a traditional West African belief system.

NADESH: Imagine you taking up oaths, you lie down inside a casket, a coffin which means if you break the rules, you do not come back to this coffin. It's so powerful.

BELL: So powerful that during the ceremony the women are physically with scars that identify them back in Nigeria as cursed women. In 2017, the U.N. International Organization for Migration said that there have been a nearly 600 percent increase in potential sex trafficking victims arriving in Europe through Italy since 2014, 80 percent of them were Nigerian. Our cameraman wears a hidden device to get a sense of how these conversations take place and where the women come from.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Nigeria.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Nigeria (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty euros.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty euros?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty euros.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old am I? You tell me how old am I.

BELL: Local charities say that the women who walk these streets are getting younger and that their apparent freedom is an illusion.

NADESH: They have to access to their document. They have lost their identities. They have lost their age and they have no freeness. The only freeness they have is to go to prostitutes and to give back money.

[02:35:04] BELL: It is so shocking to see these women lined up on the streets of this park. We asked Parisian police how this could be allowed to continue. They said there simply isn't very much they can do. The women are afraid to talk to them because of the network and they say they moved around Europe very often. And then explain the police, there's a problem that there is an apparently never ending supply of Nigerian women desperate to come to Europe.

NADESH: (INAUDIBLE) for another network to set up.

BELL: A slave among so many others in this park. That's what Nadesh says that she was for eight months. It was the birth of her son that gave her the strength to go into hiding. But she says, no one ever really ever escapes. NADESH: No matter what I am tomorrow, I'm still going to be useless

because I can't proudly say my story. I can't proudly tell the world who I am. I will always be in the dark. It's not easy to be transported to Europe just like a bag of fruit and sold for men to eat for money. But I just thank God I'm a survivor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Rosemary, that is one survivor's story, but it is the scale of this that really is the most shocking. We've focused our investigation over the last few weeks on one park in Paris what Parisian police say is that this is something that's reproduced all over Europe. There are these women being exploited in Rome, in Amsterdam, in Turin, in Berlin, all over Europe wherever he says there's a problem of demand on the part of men willing apparently to overlook the obvious and this seemingly never ending supply of women who have been brought to Europe.

The figures are quite staggering. The IOM reckons, Rosemary, that in 2014 just 15,000 Nigerian women report to cross the Mediterranean. By 2016, there were more than 11,000, 80 percent of those women are likely to be potential sex trafficking victims says the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. It gives you an idea of the scale of the problem that authorities are trying to deal with.

CHURCH: It is a shocking situation for these women. It's so hard to believe that nothing can be done. Melissa Bell, thank you for brining that story to light for us. We appreciate it. Well, Saudi Arabia denies it is holding a journalist and critic of the government against his will. Jamal Khashoggi's fiance says he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get marriage documents on Tuesday and never walked back out. But while the Saudi government says Khashoggi left the building after picking up that paperwork.

Turkish police say surveillance video doesn't back up that claim. Human rights watch calls the disappearance suspicious. And coming up next, the selfie daredevils perched atop buildings, towers, cliffs, even in front of moving trains. But a new study warns a selfie photo obsession can be dangerous and even deadly. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:41:05] CHURCH: Here's a word of warning for you. Before you snap that next selfie, you may want to check your surroundings. It could save your life. A new study reports that since 2011, some 259 people worldwide have died while taking photos of themselves. Researchers from the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences search news reports on selfie deaths between October 2011 and November 2017. Most of the victims were men younger than 30.

India are accounted for more than half of the total followed by Russia, the U.S., and Pakistan. The most common cause drowning. People have been washed away by waves on beaches or fallen off boats for example. The second leading cause of selfie deaths is listed as transport such as people trying to snap a quick picture in front of a moving train. Not the smartest thing to do. The boys seen here was just injured but he was one of the lucky ones.

Tied for third of fires and falls from high places as photos from cliff edges and daredevil selfies like these have become more popular. Do be careful. Well, millions of Americans received a presidential alert on (INAUDIBLE) Wednesday. I didn't. It was the first nationwide test of a government system designed to warn the public of an emergency. And even though President Trump didn't issue the alert himself, it didn't stop America's late night talk show host from having a little fun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the new FEMA alert system that allowed Trump to text the whole country is a historic moment because it's first time Eric Trump has ever got a text from his dad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that? Oh, we're getting another presidential alert? Oh, all right. Well, let's see. Wait a minute. I think maybe -- all right. Maybe he thinks he's texting. I don't know what.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a tsunami, Trump is the last person I want to get a text from. Huge wave, very wet in terms of water. I'll be there with paper towels soon (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Everyone is having fun with it. Thanks for your company this hour on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Stay tuned now for "WORLD SPORT". You're watching CNN. Have yourselves a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)